12 Hours and 31 Minutes
by SaySaeri
Summary: Happy Halloween! Out of the 3 past Halloweens, and at least 4-5 hours of a company party, that's how long they knew each other for the most part. What will happen this Halloween? AU


Was it possible to be in a relationship with someone for a day for three years? That's like, a day a year times three! Ritsu couldn't properly describe this complex relationship.

Considering that the one particular day was Halloween, it was a mysterious relationship indeed.

And he was going to end it.

By not letting the other see him.

You see, Ritsu is a runner. Out of the many things he can face, this was not one of them. He was going to avoid the guy for as long as he can. And hopefully forget the guy in the next ten years. Hey, that sounds familiar!

Oh, you want to know why? Haha... Of course you do.

You see, intimate and/or friendly relationships happen in a series of steps that require the participation of at least two people. Ritsu happened to experience half of both in three days out of three years- to be specific, 12 hours and 31 minutes. The joint Halloween party of close publishing companies was at least five hours and they would meet for the next four.

Scary? Of course. Information wise, he knew more about the guy than everyone else he talked to in his life. And the guy knew him too, which added to the scary factor. Without even knowing it, he was probably already engaged to him in technicality with that kiss. It was so frightening for him.

Ah, yes that kiss. The kiss from last year's Halloween. Ritsu's face would flush and duck into his work at the thought of it.

It didn't help that it was a good kiss. Not that Ritsu would admit that so readily; he was still freaking out that he was kissed at all. When he asked why in a stutter all he received was another kiss on the forehead, a cape wave to his face, and the man was gone. Curse the man's talent for distracting him and disappearing into the crowd.

Ugh, and the man was a vampire. How cliché. As for Ritsu he was a prince, but at least he wasn't a princess swept off her feet.

Surely, the guy was jesting? Maybe if Ritsu ran into him, he'll ask. He needed some explanation after all.

Now, he still didn't know who this guy was. He was sure though that he can recognize by voice though. When the man wasn't complaining to him about some of his co-workers, his voice was low and smooth.

He actually had one assumption of who he was starting the summer of this year...

...

_"Onodera-san, I think you'll do great here!" The secretary who had accompanied him smiles cheerfully. "Have you always been interested in literature?" They walk out of the elevator. _

_"Yes, ever since I was little." He stops, and they look to see what Ritsu could only call hell._

_"Ah, sorry! Wrong floor!" She gestures him back into the elevator. "Haha..." _

_"What is this floor?" He asks her, moving aside closer to her a little when someone else comes in. _

_"Our Shoujo and Bl divisions: Emerald and Sapphire. Ah," she moves to look at the other person in the elevator with them. "I... I think this is Takano-san, the head editor for Emerald." _

_"You think...?" They look at him, watching as he stared aimlessly into space before sensing their staring and yawning. _

_"Morning," he greets tiredly, looking for at them for a moment. "New guy?" _

_"A-ah, nice to meet you," Ritsu bows slightly, "I'm Onodera Ritsu." _

_"He's in the Literature department," the secretary further explains to him before turning to Ritsu. "You two may be in different divisions Onodera-san, but Takano-san gives really good advice." _

_"Yeah," Takano yawns again. He looks at Ritsu. "...If you don't pull your weight here, you might as well quit." _

_"..." 'Is that supposed to be good advice?' Ritsu nods and looks away. He was actually scared now instead of nervous. Wait... Ritsu turned back to the older man. 'Wait... that sounds like...' He recalled the vampire from the Halloween party saying something similar to this, in that same tone too. _

And then Ritsu's second reasoning for this one assumption...

_Glancing around carefully, Ritsu peeked out from the corner at he looked over at Emerald. It took him a while since he has only worked here for a week after transferring from Onodera Publishing, but he finally remembered how to get here._

_No, this wasn't stalking... just an investigation. _

_A breeze comes past him, and he saw that it was another man, rushed. "Takano! When are you guys going to get it done?" _

_"Hah?" He can hear the head editor, his voice comparing very similar to the man Ritsu knew. "We already sent it in to one of you guys, Yokozawa!" _

_'Ahh!' Ritsu daringly moves in more to see Takano, having a glaring tirade against Yokozawa. 'He has a friend named Yokozawa too! Oh,' he remembers another thing about that, 'They used to date...' _

_'Is... Is this him?' _

_"Oy!" he flinches at a loud clanging noise. "Get back to work!" Takano barks. _

_'Maybe this isn't...' The man he knew wasn't so mean..._

_..._

_'Or was he..?'_ Ritsu thought in present time, adjusting his cuffs in one of the stalls of the bathroom._ 'He did say he kept his private life from his work,'_ he couldn't help but smile,_ 'He did say he considered us on Halloween private-'_ he banged his head hard on the side of the stall. He was not going to let himself put his mind into the gutter. _'He meant as friends, as friiiieeeennndsss!'_

Minutes later he was out and walking, glancing hectically about for the man's costume. However, as seconds pass he realizes something, something bad.

_'No one's...'_ he begins to question. _'Why isn't anyone wearing a mask this year?'_

"Ahaa, Coattails!" His mask was taken off by Isaka-san. "Sorry you didn't get the memo. I had to ban masks this year."

"H-huh? Why?"

"Had some complaints... and maybe I was bribed a little," he laughs. "Anyway, no masks." He waves him temporary farewell to go talk to other people who had mask-hats on.

_'Oh no.'_ Ritsu swallows, afraid. He was wearing the same costume from the years before so there was a high chance... a really high chance that he was going to be recognized by a long shot.

_'As if I let that happen!'_ In a frenzy, he rushed out towards the bathroom after grabbing someone close by about his height.

"W-what do you want with me?!" The dark brunet man seemed so startled and afraid, Ritsu couldn't help feel guilty.

"Sorry, but please trade costumes with me!"

"H...huh?"

"Please! Trade with me!"

"But... " The other seemed troubled about something. "Tori's going to ask me why."

"I'm sorry, but please! I'll do anything!"

"D-do you really need it that badly?"

"Please!"

"...Oh- okay..."

A full ten minutes later...

"That's all you want?" Ritsu asks, looking down at the newly added cell phone number.

"Yeah. Tori will never suspect I'm with you when I run away for work." His apparently new friend Chiaki smiles in relief. "I just really need a break you know? I mean, I know I can't cook well or anything, but I can be independent too you know? And I do end up making the deadline."

"Yeah..." Ritsu agrees. He could totally get along and be friends with this guy.

"Though, are you okay with this?" Chiaki asks him, looking at him up and down. "We're the same thing, but in different colors and styles-"

"It's fine!" Ritsu tries hard to remain optimistic. Yes, he realized that he should have paid more attention to the costumes. "It's fine! Really!"

"Are you sure?" Chiaki tilts his head to the side, doubting. The green-eyed brunet, now in blue, looked like he was going to hide under a rock.

* * *

><p>Masamune frowned with his drink in hand.<p>

His prince wasn't here yet, and for some odd reason he couldn't pinpoint, he felt impatient yet patient.

He just wanted to see him.

And they weren't wearing masks either, so oh hell yeah he wanted to see the guy. Even if he already knew who he was. From that day on the elevator, he recognized that hair color and voice. His prince was cuter than he thought.

"Yoshino?" Hearing Hatori sound so surprised, he turned to see 'Hoshikawa-sensei' in- Oh.

He knew that costume from anywhere.

"Aahhaha," Chiaki scratches the side of his head nervously. "T-this person, we saw that we had the same costumes so we thought that... it'd be fun if we switch!"

"Is that so?" Hatori says, a little perplexed. "You are getting it back later right?"

"Y-yeah of course!"

Seeing a flash of blue run past behind Chiaki through a crowd, Masamune excused himself to give chase.

...

_'It's Takano-san, it's Takano-san,'_ Ritsu continued to rush past some people, hoping the older man didn't see him. Once he got a glimpse of that costume looking over at where Chiaki was, he bolted.

Hoping he wasn't seen, Ritsu found refuge behind a big potted plant. When he thought the coast was clear he sprinted off to the closest men's bathroom. Quickly, he splashes water in his face before grabbing a paper towel and drying vigorously.

"Are you alright?" He looked up to see no other than Yokozawa-san.

"Y-y-yyokozawa-san!"

"..?" The dressed office wolf looked at him in confusion. "Who are you? I don't think I've seen you in Sales... Are you new?"

_'Aah, he doesn't know that I know who he is!'_ "U-uhh... I-I'm in the Literature department..."

"Oh, I see... What authors?"

"Uh... Ino Nozomi, Hinamori Kazuto... and Satoshi..."

"Oh, I think I've heard of them. Satoshi is a penname right?"

"Y-yes..."

"I've seen an excerpt of Hinamori-san's light novel in one of the recent editions. He has an unusual way of bringing in music into his stories. They flow very well."

"Ah, you've noticed?" Ritsu laughs airily, feeling comfortable despite his legs begging him to run. "He was worried no one wouldn't see it, so I'm glad. He actually writes songs on the side too."

"Really? No wonder-"

"OH, there you are Yokozawa," he looked to see a light haired brunet man dressed like a hunter stroll in, grinning. "I was wondering why you were taking so long. Hurry, little red-riding hood wants to visit her grandma."

"Okay," he then turns to Ritsu. "Sorry."

"It's fine..."

"Oh yeah," Yokozawa's companion remembers, "Takano's running around and slapping people with his cape. He almost gave Hiyo a mouthful."

"What?" he then huffs before walking out with his man, "That guy..."

_'He's hurting people?!'_ Ritsu couldn't believe. _'Wait, he's running around?! He isn't looking for me, is he? Did he see me?'_

Sneakily, he crept out of the bathroom and retreated towards the elevator. Maybe he can hide off on another floor of this building.

...

_'If he's not here...'_ Masamune escapes the cluster of passing people, headed towards the closest elevator._ 'He's going to run and hide.'_

He could wonder why Ritsu was running from him in the first place, but he'll do that later. What's more important right now is to actually see the guy and corner him.

He never thought he would find love like this.

A love where he was swept off his feet by a prince...

Oh god he loved the guy. It didn't matter to him how short they have actually seen each other. What really mattered was the time they were going to have together after all this. Still though...

Why the hell they didn't exchange numbers?! Ugh... the mysteriousness of Halloween his ass.

Almost a minute later he saw him, Ritsu, with the elevator doors closing. The surprise he saw on that face quickly turned into panic as the brunet started pressing repeatedly on the button. He couldn't make it as it closed, so looking up at the numbers, he headed up the stairs.

* * *

><p>Ritsu walked out of the elevator, wary. <em>'Takano-san wouldn't have beat me up here, would he?'<em>

*slam* He turns, agape in surprise seeing a panting Masamune, who stares at him once their eyes locked. The door behind him to the stairs were now closed.

Swallowing, Ritsu willed to run, but he couldn't. He was still as Masamune walked to him, and blushed when he was embraced. He can feel the older man shake with laughter.

"Four years and the same costumes, we're hopeless."

"...Aahh..."

"'Aahh?'" The man pulls back to smile at the other. "Ritsu?"

"...nnggh," Ritsu flushes at his name being said, at a loss. Was this seriously happening to him?

"You okay?" Masamune caresses one of his reddened cheeks with his thumb, his smile becoming soft before planting a chaste kiss to the younger's lips.

"Y-y-y-y-you," Ritsu can finally talk, "You kissed me..."

"What's wrong?" The raven haired man asks, when Ritsu steps away a little.

"I..." Out of hesitance, he averted his gaze. "I thought... we were friends, i-in a way..." A small part of him felt burned. Everything felt so different now with these rush of emotions he felt threatening to rise to the surface.

Hearing steps toward him he shut his eyes; only to open them again moments later when two hands were placed upon both sides his face. "We were, until," he begins, tilting up that face towards him for deep second kiss. "...that. That day, up until that point, all I can think of was 'I want to kiss him.'"

Masamune let go of his hands on Ritsu's cheeks. Using one, he brought up one of Ritsu's hands to his lips. "Go out with me?"

"..." Ritsu stared down long and hard at the floor, the blush on his cheeks lightening as he tried to think clearly.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Almost 20 minutes later...

"...Yes."

Masamune let out a breathy sigh as he smiled in relief; his prince sure took his sweet, sweet time.

* * *

><p><strong>Ha... I just really wanted to contribute to Halloween this year. <strong>

**The sort of extended ending that I don't have time to type out has more explanation to what they talked about in those 12 hours and 31 minutes but I have leave soon for somewhere and I really wanted to get this in on Halloween and not November 1st. **

**If you guys want to see the extended ending thingly feel free to tell me and I think I can update since I just put this in now and not November XD Ah, I feel satisfied seeing that I at least got for the most part this on Halloween. **

**Happy Halloween!**


End file.
